Tabs on pokies

GREATER Dandenong may be set to roll the dice on a “strengthened” gambling policy against extra poker machines in the municipality.
Councillors will vote on a report calling for a “revised and strengthened” gambling policy by October due to the “financial stress, family tension and ill health” faced by residents addicted to poker machines.
The report anticipates the State Government “in future” would be likely to revise regional caps on poker machine numbers, including the 989-machine cap in Greater Dandenong.
Recently, the council has not opposed applications for five extra machines at Noble Park RSL and six extra at Albion Hotel.
It had reasoned in both cases that its opposition would have been unlikely to sway the arbiter, the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
The council is expecting further applications for more poker machines this year.
Councillor Matthew Kirwan said the council’s policy needed to take a “stronger … more effective stand”.
He said a set of criteria should be used to “generate” whether the council opposes extra poker machines at a venue.
“By having a policy that has a set of criteria that automatically generates a recommendation, we will have a solid, defensible basis to object to an increase in machines.
“Whatever we then decide won’t be seen as an ad hoc decision by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, gambling venues or Greater Dandenong residents.”
Cr Kirwan said the council should examine whether including the gambling policy in its planning scheme would give the policy greater weight.
Councillor Peter Brown said the council and its gambling policy would have little sway in the VCGLR decisions on extra poker machines.
“If I could turn the clock back, I wouldn’t have poker machines in Victoria – and people know I like to have a bet. Unfortunately, the City of Greater Dandenong is one of the loss-leaders in the state.
“The experience to date is the council can say what it likes, but nothing will change because the machines have been legitimately sold to the operators and venues.”
In 2012-13, about $109 million was spent in the municipality – equivalent to nearly $1000 for every adult in Greater Dandenong. The spending per adult is the highest in Victoria
More than $2.4 billion have been lost to pokies in the economically-disavantaged council area since 1992 – the second highest total in Victoria.